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They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented; (Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. (Heb. 11:37-38)

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE MEAN BY "PERFECTION"

Again, it cannot be overemphasized what the Bible means by "perfection;" it's not necessarily talking about individual perfection as an end in itself. What "biblical perfection" is aiming at is "corporate perfection." For example, take Ephesians: Ephesians 4:13-16 speaks of the "growth in life" (i.e., "may grow up into Him," "maketh increase") and ties this to a specific goal: "a perfect man" - and it goes on to explain in John 17:20-23 what it mean by this phrase:

"That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: I in them, and thou in me, THAT THEY MAY BE MADE PERFECT IN ONE; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me."

And it's pretty obvious what the Bible is talking about here - it's talking specifically about our oneness with Christ, Christ's oneness with us, Christ's oneness with the Father, and finally, our oneness with each other. Now, where is the only place that this can happen? - obviously, there's only one place: IN THE CHURCH! As individuals, we can be one with Christ, but we can only be one with our brothers and sisters in the church. This is where the triune God meets man, and where man is united (through the Holy Spirit) with his brothers and sisters in the Lord. And when this happens, God is glorified:

"... that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me."

The perfect man, then, is that person who has been "fitted" as a "living stone" (I Pet. 2:5) into the building of Christ (Eph: 2:21) which is the church.

So between the time we are "born again" and the time we are "perfected in Him" (i.e., the time we are built-up" a "living stone in God's house) we are subjected to a process called the "growth in life." Moreover, while we are in this process, there is a catalyst at work.

TRIBULATION: THE CATALYST OF GOD

And what exactly is a catalyst? - a catalyst is something which speeds up a process. For example, in chemistry when oxygen and hydrogen are mixed together, water is produced. But hydrogen and oxygen can exist together for an eternity of time without ever mixing and thereby producing water. A catalyst is necessary to produce the mixing. In this case, heat is the catalyst. In our case, tribulation is the catalyst which produces the "growth in life" which leads to our being "perfected in Christ." It's no historical accident that the church has shinned the brightest and her oneness manifested in the most brilliant of terms during times of great persecution - such as occurred in the early church and which is occurring today in China. The Bible says,

"And there came thither certain Jews from Antioch and Iconium, who persuaded the people, and, having stoned Paul, drew him out of the city, supposing he had been dead.

"Howbeit, as the disciples stood round about him, he rose up, and came into the city: and the next day he departed with Barnabas to Derbe.

"And when they had preached the gospel to that city, and had taught many, they returned again to Lystra, and to Iconium, and Antioch,

"Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God. (Acts 14:19-22)

Tribulation, then, is the catalyst of God which encourages the "growth in life," which then leads to our "perfection in Him," which then produces the "built-up" church, which then brings glory to God. Tribulation, therefore, is a gift from God to us to perfect our salvation. You say that such a concept is foreign to you. Well, maybe - but if that's so, you're not seeing tribulation through God's eyes. The Bible says:

"And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;

"And patience, experience; and experience, hope:

"And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. (Romans 5:3-5)

Tribulation is the catalyst through which the process God calls the "growth in life" (Eph. 4:15) is produced in us. Tribulation is like a fertilizer which speeds up and encourages the "growth in life." Indeed, one might say that tribulation is God's "heavenly fertilizer." If you once begin to see this, tribulation will take on a positive meaning in your life rather than a negative one - so much so that with Paul you might someday be able to say, "... we glory in tribulation ..." (Romans 5:3)

THE END OF IT ALL

To sum up: we have a life in us - the life of Christ. It is this life which causes us to know Christ's voice and which impels us to follow Him. As we follow Him we are by degrees "built-up a habitation of God in the Spirit" which will eventually result in a built-up, glorified church. It is nothing we can do ourselves; it's the life of Christ in us which will bring the result. Our part is not "doing" but "abiding." The growth in life comes as we abide in Him. Again, the Bible says,

"But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass (mirror) the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord." (2 Cor. 3:18)

As we abide in Him, and as He abides in us, we behold Him; and as we behold Him we begin to reflect Him; and as we reflect Him, we are changed from one degree of glory to the next. Again, we say this is the "growth in life" - being changed from one degree of glory to the next - which brings us to the "perfection" (the state of being built-up with all the saints) which will ultimately produce the unity of the church which then will bring glory to God. We do not trust in ourselves or in our "doing." We trust in Him, knowing that He will perfect us. The Bible says,

"I thank my God upon every remembrance of you,
"Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy,
"For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now;
"Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good
work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ ..." (Phil. 1:3-6)

THE LONGING OF CREATION

"For [even the whole] creation ... waits expectantly and longs earnestly for God's sons [the Church] to be made known - waits for the REVEALING, the DISCLOSURE of their sonship." (Romans 8:19, Zondervan, the Amplified Bible )

The King James version translates it in this way:

"For the earnest expectation of the ...[creation] waiteth for the MANIFESTATION of the sons of God." (Romans 8:19)

And the NASB version translates it this way:

"For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the REVEALING of the sons of God." (Romans 8:19)

In this Paul is saying that the whole universe is anxiously waiting for something to happen insofar as the Church is concerned.

It is waiting for the church to be "REVEALED," "DISCLOSED," "MANIFESTED."

These are interesting words that Paul has chosen to use with regard to the Church, and they confirm in a backhanded way what we have already touched on. What Paul is really saying here is that the Church has been hidden and obscured in this present dispensation [age].

Indeed, Jesus, speaking in a prophetic parable concerning this condition of the Church, said:

"The kingdom of heaven [the Church] may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field.

"But while men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed tares also among the wheat, and went away.

"And the slaves of the landowner came and said to him, Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?

"And he said to them, An enemy has done this! And the slaves said to him, Do you want us, then, to go and gather them up?

"But he said, No; lest while you are gathering up the tares, you may root up the wheat with them.

"Allow both to grow together until the harvest; and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, First gather up the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them up; but gather the wheat into my barn.

"Then He left the multitudes, and went into the house. And His disciples came to Him, saying, Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field.

"And He answered and said, The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man and the field is the world; and as for the good seed, these are the sons of the kingdom; and the tares are the sons of the evil one;

"And the enemy who sowed them is the devil, and the harvest is the end of the age; and the reapers are angels.

"Therefore just as the tares are gathered up and burned with fire, so shall it be at the end of the age.

"And will cast them into the furnace of fire; in that place there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

"Then THE RIGHTEOUS WILL SHINE FORTH AS THE SUN in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear." (Matthew 13:24-30; 36-43)

Now in connection with the parable above, it is interesting to note how the harvest was carried out in the ancient world and how the wheat [the good seed] was separated from the tares and the chaff [the bad seed]. BOTH WERE HARVESTED TOGETHER! Then through a process of winnowing, the wheat was separated from the tares and the chaff. The winnowing was accomplished in this manner: first, the harvest was crushed and spread out on a large floor; then workers took shovels and threw the harvest into the air by the shovel-full. The tares and chaff, being lighter than the kernels of wheat, were blown away by the wind, usually into another bin, while the kernels of wheat, being heavier, fell again to the threshing floor. In this way the wheat was separated from the tares and the chaff. The chaff and tares, being good for nothing, were then gathered together and burned, while the wheat was gathered together, bundled and stored in the barn.

Now it is important to note in this process, that the wheat itself is not being tested at all. Wheat is wheat!! Tares are tares!! There is nothing in this process which is meant to test the quality of the wheat. Neither is there anything in this process that the wheat is supposed to do. The wheat is required to do nothing. Works are not involved!! The wheat needs to do only one thing - be what it is inherently: wheat. The process is a SEPARATING PROCESS. It is not a process of works. The purpose of the entire process is quite simple: to separate, and by separating to MANIFEST or DISCLOSE, or REVEAL (Romans 8:19) the wheat from the tares and the chaff.

THE TRIBULATION AS A WINNOWING OF GOD

What we call today the Church is surely a mixture of wheat and tares - good seed and bad seed.

In a day when it has become so popular - even fashionable - to be referred to as "born-again" that political figures [whom the Bible calls the basest or lowest of people (Daniel 4:17)] refer to themselves as "born-again" to get votes, there certainly can be no doubt concerning this matter. Indeed, what can one say to all of this when even the owner of Hustler Magazine [one of the most notorious pornographic magazines in the country] refers to himself openly as

"born-again."

Yes, there is a winnowing coming! John the Baptist, speaking prophetically, said of it:

"I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me (i.e., in the "end of days") is mightier than I ...

"His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly purge His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff [tares] with unquenchable fire." (Matthew 3:11-12)

And how will He accomplish this winnowing? By the Tribulation! The Tribulation is to be the great winnowing of God spoken of by John the Baptist! (Mat 3:11-12) And what will this winnowing accomplish? A great separation between those who truly love Christ and those who merely claim to love Him, but whose hearts are far away. This is the EXACT context in which John uttered his prophecy (i.e., that there is a winnowing coming). John goes on to say:

"Then Jerusalem [i.e., the entire Jewish religious community], all Judea, and all the region around the Jordan went out to him [John]

"And were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins.

"But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them,

"Brood of vipers! Who has warned you to flee from the wrath to come?" (Matthew 3:5-7)

John the Baptist was a forerunner, a precursor to Jesus. His work was a work of separation - to separate the hypocrite from the believer, the wheat from the chaff, the Pharisees and the Sadducees from those in Israel who genuinely longed for the Messiah. So also with Jesus in the work of the Tribulation - to which John specifically pointed in Matthew 3:11-12 (i.e., that there is a winnowing coming).

The work of tribulation is first and foremost a SEPARATING work. Specifically, it separates those who merely profess Christianity from those who truly believe. This is important. The work of tribulation - in the first instance - is a work directed not at separating the atheist from the believer, or the idolater from those who really worship God [idolaters and atheists are people who obviously and openly are not Christians], or any other such thing; but rather it is a work SPECIFICALLY directed at separating those who claim to be Christian [out of convention or advantage] from those who truly are. And this is precisely the work of tribulation in the Parable of the Sower. Concerning those who accept Christianity and profess it superficially for material advantage, Jesus had this to say:

"But he who received the seed [Gospel] on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy;

"Yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when TRIBULATION or PERSECUTION arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles (other translations say "wither away")." (Matthew 13:20-21)

In this regard, I remember a story which a Russian Christian once told me concerning an incident which occurred in a home fellowship which he had attended in Moscow during the height of the Brezchnev era of the old Soviet Union. The fellowship met regularly once every week on Tuesday evenings. One evening, shortly after they had begun to pray, there was a pounding on the door, and the words, "Police, open up," were shouted out. Everyone froze. Finally, as if in a daze, the host went to the door and with trembling hands opened it. Five uniformed police officers burst in, each holding a Kalshnikov rifle. After a brief moment of silence, the officer in charge said menacingly, "I'm going to give you a chance. Those of you are not Christian may leave - no questions asked." But those of you who are, stay put!" About a half dozen men and women quickly rose from their seats, gathered up their belongings, and scurried out. About twelve remained. The door was closed. Then something remarkable happened. The police officers put down their rifles and machine pistols and explained, "We too are Christians. We have known about you for a long time and have longed to meet with you, but we feared to do so because we knew that we could be turned in by false Christians who may have been in your midst. We knew that those of you who would remain after we came in would be the real Christians; those who left would be the false ones. We wanted first of all to pray and fellowship with you, and then warn you to flee because the government has found you out."

Tears flowed; the presence of the Lord filled the house; and the most wonderful prayer and fellowship any of them had ever experienced followed. The police provided all who were there with the necessary papers they would need to leave the country. They all then embraced, and that night they fled the capital with their families and found their way to the West.

Yes, persecution (tribulation) does separate!

But while tribulation separates, there is another more sublime work of tribulation; and this work of tribulation is not a separating work, but a purifying work directed not at the hypocrite, but at the believer.

This work elevates, ennobles, glorifies, and transforms the believer - perfecting him and making him fit for the building - and while we have already touched on this matter, we need to get it firmly in our minds so that in the future, when it comes upon us - as indeed it will - we will not faint in our troubles, but will instead give glory to God, as the Scriptures say,

"So that we ourselves glory in you ... in all your persecutions and tribulations that ye endure: Which is a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God, that ye may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which ye also suffer ..." (2 Thess. 1:4-5)

And in this context, we must bear in mind - and get it established in our brains - that it is our generation, more than any other generation, that has been signaled out for tribulation - for it is to be the hallmark of that generation which will see the Lord's return - which is to say, our generation. It's the destiny (the honor) to which we have been called.

Indeed, the Bible, speaking concerning the "end-of-the-age-saints," says:

"After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands ...

"Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, Who are these arrayed in white robes, and where did they come from?

"And I said to him, Sir, you know. So he said to me, THESE ARE THE ONES WHO COME OUT OF THE GREAT TRIBULATION, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb." (Revelation 7:9,13-14)

TRIBULATION: GOD'S WAY OF
MANIFESTING HIS GLORY IN THE SAINTS

The Bible says,

"There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job, and that man was BLAMELESS, UPRIGHT, fearing God, and turning away from evil.

"Now there was a day when the sons of God [angels] came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them.

"And the Lord said to Satan, 'From where do you come'? Then Satan answered the Lord and said, 'From roaming about on the earth and walking around on it'.

"And the Lord said to Satan, 'Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a BLAMELESS, UPRIGHT man, fearing God and turning away from evil'.

"Then Satan answered the Lord, 'Does Job fear God for nothing? [Why shouldn't he respect you since you take care of him so well?]

"'Hast Thou not made a hedge about him [haven't you put a wall around him to protect him from me?] and his house [his family] and all that he has, on every side? Thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land.

"'But put forth Thy hand now and touch all that he has; he will surely curse Thee to Thy face'." [but take away the wall and let me at him, and he will hate you]

"The Lord said to Satan, 'BEHOLD, ALL THAT HE HAS IS IN YOUR POWER ...'" (Job 1:1, 6-12)

Why does God allow his servants to suffer? Why does God allow Satan access to them? Why does God allow tribulation to enter their lives? Many in today's Church, of course, deny that God does - but this is obviously not what the Scriptures say. But these same people would retort that God only allows suffering when there is sin - and, apparently, this is what Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar, Job's, friends said about Job during his sufferings: that Job was suffering because there was "hidden sin" in Job's life, and that this was the only reason that God would allow such suffering in one of his servants. But God was greatly angered by such thinking:

"And it came about after the Lord had spoken these words to Job, that the Lord said to Eliphaz the Temanite, 'My wrath is kindled against you and against your two friends, because you have not spoken of Me what is right as My servant Job has.

"'Now therefore, take for yourselves seven bulls and seven rams, and go to My servant Job, and offer up a burnt offering for yourselves, and My servant Job will pray for you. For I will accept him so that I may not do with you according to your folly, because you have not spoken of Me what is right, as My servant Job has'." (Job 42:7-8)

THE MANIFESTED CHURCH OF GOD

GOD WAS GLORIFIED IN JOB!! Satan had said that Job loved God only because of the "things" God bestowed upon him. What a terrible thing to say. It is the curse of wealth. How does a rich man ever know that he is truly loved? The sad truth is, he doesn't so long as he retains his wealth. But should he lose it, then he will find out. Great crowds of people followed Jesus so long as he fed them and healed them of their diseases. But when tribulation arose because of the Word He spoke, the crowds disappeared.

Oh, to be loved because of who you are, and not just because of the "things" you have! This is the love that God desires from those who follow Him. It is the love that Ruth gave to Naomi, and this even after Naomi had asked Ruth to depart from her because she [Naomi] had nothing further to give Ruth - she no longer possessed any "things" with which to "purchase" Ruth's love:

"But Ruth said, 'Do not urge me to leave you or turn back from following you; for where you go, I will go, and where you lodge, I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God.

"'Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. Thus may the Lord do to me, and worse, if anything but death parts you and me'." (Ruth 1:16-17)

The Lord is looking for such to follow Him - those that will follow Him long after the "things" are gone, the crowds have left, the popularity faded; when the clothes are tattered and torn, there is no food on the table, and persecution rages all around. These are the true disciples of Jesus - with such people one can repose trust and friendship, true love is here to be found!

These are the disciples who can say with the prophet Habakkuk:

"Though the fig tree may not blossom, Nor fruit be on the vines; Though the labor of the olive may fail, And the fields yield no food; Though the flock be cut off from the fold, And there be no herd in the stalls -

"YET I WILL REJOICE IN THE LORD, I WILL JOY IN THE GOD OF MY SALVATION." (Habakkuk 3:17-18)

It is in this kind of love that the TRUE Church will be "revealed," "disclosed," "manifested" (Romans 8:19)! It is this kind of love which will expose the hypocrites for what they really are. It is this kind of love which will separate the wheat from the tares. And it is only in tribulation that this love is truly revealed in all of its splendor and beauty. In this, God's glory can find rest; in this the presence of God securely dwells.

"For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.

"And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues." (Rev. 18:3-4)

THE WORD OF GOD DIVIDES

The Bible equates the Word of Truth with the Word of God (and the Gospel of Salvation). The two are synonymous (cf. 2 Cor. 6:7, Eph. 1:13, Col. 1:5, 2 Tim. 2:15, James 1:18). For example, Ephesians 1:13 says,

"In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise ..."

and -

"Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." (2 Tim. 2:15)

Moreover, the Bible says that this Word (truth) divides:

"For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart." (Heb. 4:12)

And even more, it divides families and neighbors - so much so that it even sets a man -

"... at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.

"And a man's foes shall be they of his own household.

"He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.

"And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me." (Matt. 10:35-38)

HOLDING FAST TO THE
TRUTH BRINGS PERSECUTION

Truth divides! By holding fast to the truth in these last days [i.e., by not compromising the Word of God the way people like J.I. Packer, Chuck Swindall, Pat Robertson, etc. are doing in order to create "unity" (i.e., ecumenicism - a "united Christian front," so to speak) to fight "secular-humanism" and "take the country back for Christ and the Church"], we can be assured that we will be separated out for God's purpose in these last days; and we can be assured of being built-up as living stones in God's building - the church.

Holding fast the truth - that's the way to go! It leads to everything else! You don't necessarily have to leave your church if it's compromising the Word for ecumenicism's sake. Just hold fast the Word and proclaim it - they'll make you leave. You don't have to seek out tribulation in order to have the "growth in life;" persecution will find you as you proclaim the Word. Truth and persecution go hand-in-hand. Find one and you will find the other.

Concerning the last days, the Bible says:

"And they asked him, saying, Master, but when shall these things be? and what sign will there be when these things shall come to pass?

"And he said, Take heed that ye be not deceived: for many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and the time draweth near: go ye not therefore after them.

"But when ye shall hear of wars and commotions, be not terrified: for these things must first come to pass; but the end is not by and by.

"Then said he unto them, Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom:

"And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.

"But before all these, they shall lay their hands on you, and persecute you (for the Word of God's sake), delivering you up to the synagogues (i.e., church meeting halls), and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my name's sake.

"And it shall turn to you for a testimony.

"Settle it therefore in your hearts, not to meditate before what ye shall answer:

"For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist.

"And ye shall be betrayed both by parents, and brethren, and kinsfolks, and friends; and some of you shall they cause to be put to death.

"And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake." ((Luke 21:7-17)

STANDING FOR THE TRUTH; THE
IMPETUS TOWARDS HOUSE-CHURCHES

What does all this mean insofar as Antipas is concerned? - well, for one thing, you will discover that there is a kind of "imperative" at work with regard to the Antipas Papers and Religion in Politics: as people are caught with the message of the Antipas Papers and Religion in Politics, and begin to talk with their friends in their churches about it, they will inevitably be "marked out" as "trouble makers" by the "powers that be" in these churches. After all, as the politicizing of the evangelical church continues unabated and the "unity movement" takes hold within the evangelical community with ever increasing vigor, those people who embrace the Antipas Papers will be - directly or indirectly, subtly or not so subtly - forced out of their churches. Why? - well consider just for a moment all the things which the church today is embracing, but which the Antipas Papers stands unalterably opposed to:

1. The Antipas Papers opposes the increasing involvement of the church in partisan party politics. As a result it will be opposed by some of the most popular "Christian" organizations in America today - groups like the Christian Coalition, the Traditional Values Coalition, etc. - organizations which enjoy considerable support in today's church - especially at the leadership level.
2. The Antipas Papers opposes the increasing rapprochement of the evangelical church with the Roman Catholic Church - a rapprochement made necessary by the church's "politicization;" after all, how can evangelicals "take back the country for Christ and the church" unless they cooperate with the Roman Catholics. Roman Catholics are far too numerous to be left on the "outside" in evangelicalism's upcoming battle with "secular-humanism."
3. The Antipas Papers points to the United States as the "Prophetic Babylon" of the "last days" - a stand which certainly won't win much favor for the book with those ever expanding numbers of Christians who are coming to believe that America is Christianity's "last great hope to save the world."
4. The thrust of the Antipas Papers naturally opposes the extravagant (but popular) building programs of large numbers of today's churches (popular at least insofar as the leadership is concerned). Such thinking could hardly have been better calculated to infuriate those countless numbers of pastors who dream someday of presiding over a mega-church.
5. The thrust of the Antipas Papers stands opposed to the bureaucratic and hierarchical structures of so many of today's evangelical churches - structures which these churches depend on to enforce "good discipline" and "unity."
6. Etc. - the list is almost endless.

To use the analogy we used in the Antipas Papers, those who embrace our message (i.e., "old-line" evangelicals) believe that the world (including the United States) is like some great passenger ship which has struck an iceberg; it is sinking; the damage is of such a nature that the ship is beyond repair and doomed.

As "old-line" evangelicals, we believe that Christians have been called to get as many people off the ship as is possible before it sinks; we believe that we are an "out-calling" from the ship (Acts 15:14) - that we have been called to witness to the fact that the ship itself cannot be saved - and that it is our duty to warn others of this fact and to get them as far away from the ship as is possible before it sinks; that we are heirs to a better home and a better land - reserved for us in heaven, having nothing to do with this world.

The problem is, however, that there are a good number of other Christians - many times more numerous than we are - who believe otherwise; that it is their "duty" to save the ship.

A clash between them and us, therefore, is inevitable - after all, there is nothing quite so disconcerting as having one group of people (us) running around the ship telling everyone that it's doomed when the other group is trying to organize a gigantic rescue effort to save it - an effort that demands a great deal of unity and which will require everyone to pitch in and help.

The problem, then, is what to do with the "nay-sayers" - us. If we can't be persuaded to join the effort to "save the ship" - or at least to remain silent - we'll ultimately have to be made to "walk the plank;" after all, unity in such a difficult endeavor is paramount. We find ourselves, therefore, in a rather tenuous and somewhat difficult situation: to join the effort to save the ship is not an option; and to remain silent in the face of the impending shipwreck is tantamount to inviting God's wrath to fall on us. The fact is, we can't pretend that we don't know what's happening - we do know! And this knowledge hangs like some kind of biblical sword of Damocles over our heads. To do nothing is to invite it to fall on us. Again, the Bible says:

"Son of man, speak to the children of thy people, and say unto them, When I bring the sword upon a land, if the people of the land take a man of their coasts, and set him for their watchman:

"If when he seeth the sword come upon the land, he blow the trumpet, and warn the people;

"Then whosoever heareth the sound of the trumpet, and taketh not warning; if the sword come, and take him away, his blood shall be upon his own head.

"He heard the sound of the trumpet, and took not warning; his blood shall be upon him. But he that taketh warning shall deliver his soul.

"But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman's hand." (Ezek. 33:2-6)

ENCOURAGING PEOPLE NOT
TO GIVE UP ON THE CHURCH

It is here that the "rubber will finally meet the road" for most of us! And the persecution (even martyrdom) which we will have to face as a result will issue forth from our own co-religionists, even from our friends and loved ones - those who are trying so desperately (but ignorantly) to save the ship.

As people like us are inevitably ostracized (i.e., made to "walk the plank"), they will need a way of going on. This is where the matter of the "house-churches" comes in. It is our (Antipas's) answer to those who have been ostracized. It provides them with a way to go on within a loving and caring church environment. It won't be "fancy," but it will provide a means through which intimate Christian fellowship can be sustained and the corporate testimony of the church maintained. It is here that we will meet one of our greatest challenges - encouraging those saints who have been ostracized from their churches not to "give up" on the church and shrink back into a life characterized by isolation, but to go on with people of like-mind as a house-church.

But this will be very difficult to do. Why? - because evangelicalism - at least as it is constituted today - has done everything it can to make the saints of God dependent on the "paid professionals," * and in doing so, to subvert what evangelicalism was originally all about - bringing all the saints into meaningful function within the church body.

OVERCOMING OUR DEPENDENCE
ON THE PASTORAL SYSTEM

The sad reality is, Christians in America who have been brought up in today's "pastoral system" of "paid professionals" simply have no concept of what it means to take responsibility themselves for the "meeting life" of the church. They have been taught to sit quietly in their chairs (pews) week after week while the "paid professionals" teach and otherwise function. What a shame that people who today call themselves "evangelical" can put up with such a system, let alone encourage and teach it. The sad reality is, however, that the great truth of the "priesthood of all believers" which evangelicalism did so much to recover in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries is today more "dead doctrine" than it is reality - a teaching more honored in the breach than in the keeping.

All this, however, doesn't make the doctrine of the "priesthood of all believers" less true than it has always been; the doctrine is a matter of plain Scripture; the Bible says:

"Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ." (1 Pet. 2:5)

And again, the Scripture says:

"But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light ..." (1 Pet. 2:9)

May God open our eyes to see what the church-life is really all about. The church is the body of Christ. It's not some building or organization. 1 Cor. 12:27 says:

"Now YE are the body of Christ, and members in particular."

The body of Christ (i.e., the church) is a living organism; it is not a business organization or an inanimate structure. This implies that all members of the church must function. Just as in our physical bodies, there is no member that is without function, in like manner, there is no one who is a member of the body of Christ who can refrain from functioning as a member of that body - who can be excused from serving as a priest in the meeting-life of the church.

All the members must function, and all the priests must serve. It is only when all the members of the body are functioning that we can see the real church-life.

The failure of today's evangelical church to teach this doctrine, however lies more with us - the lay-people - than it does with our leadership; it lies principally with our own laziness and carelessness - a laziness and carelessness which has permitted the "pastoral system" which characterizes the priestly structure of the Roman Catholic Church and the "pastorate" of the old "mainline" Protestant denominations to creep back into our assemblies and meetings while we - as the lay-people - slumbered and slept.

As a result, a great deal of damage has been done to the saints of God, and we must, therefore, be very careful as we seek to encourage those who have been ostracized to continue on in the church-life without the "paid professionals." What ever we do must be characterized by love and gentleness. The damage to the saints cannot be repaired in one short hour. It will take a long time for the saints to begin to feel comfortable taking care of themselves after having been ostracized.

©Copyright - Antipas Ministries